


The Night Before Christmas

by YellowBananaOwl



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 12:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5540111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowBananaOwl/pseuds/YellowBananaOwl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martin and Douglas' first Christmas together. Just a bit of Christmas-y, domestic Marlas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Night Before Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doorwaytoparadise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doorwaytoparadise/gifts).



> for Claire written for the Fandot Secret Santa 2015.  
> I hope you like it. 
> 
> Characters belong to John Finnemore.

Martin was stretching as far as he could, but he just couldn’t reach the top of the shelf to hang the fairy lights on.

”You know, you could just _ask_ me to help you,” said Douglas from the other side of the room.

”No, I can do this.” Martin sounded determined.

”Of course you can,” said Douglas and smiled as Martin dragged the nearest chair over to the shelf and stepped onto it. The chair, however, was very soft, and the man looked absolutely ridiculous as he tried to reach the top of the shelf while sagging further down the more he tried to reach the top. He made it in the end, the chair giving him just the few inches he was missing.

”See!” he said proudly as he stepped down and pushed the chair back in its rightful place. ”I did it!”

”So you did,” said Douglas. ”Well done, dear. You truly are Santa’s little helper. Or at least mine.”

”Stop calling me that!” sneered Martin and crossed his arms over his chest.

Douglas chuckled and walked over to him. ”It’s just a pet name. You like those. You find them endearing.”

”Calling me your little helper is _not_ endearing! I’m not your little helper! I’m not little and I’m not a helper. I live here! It was my idea to put up these lights, so basically you’re helping _me_!”

”Of course, Martin. I’m sorry.” Douglas said with a mischievous grin. ”Maybe I can be Santa’s little helper and you can be … Rudolph.” Douglas grabbed a headband with antlers from the shelf and put it on Martin’s head.

Martin frowned, so Douglas kissed him on the nose, making Martin smile a little.

”There! You like to be in charge of flying, now you can be Santa’s Captain.”

”Technically Rudolph isn’t the Captain, he’s more like one of the engines,” Martin insisted. ”Santa has control, so technically _he’s_ the captain.”

”My mistake,” said Douglas. ”I don’t have a Santa hat for you. Maybe we could get your old hat and paint it red for the holidays?”

”Very funny,” said Martin and went to grab some more lights from the box. Douglas followed and wrapped his arms around Martin’s waist the second the other man had picked up the string of lights. Martin turned around to face him, and Douglas leaned in for a quick kiss.

”Look,” he said and pointed at the mirror on the wall, ”Rudolph and his little helper. With the antlers you’re taller than me.”

Martin threw the antlers away. ”I think we have enough lights,” he murmured and walked upstairs. Douglas sighed and followed, he found the other man in the bedroom, sitting on the bed, sulking.

”I’m sorry, Martin.”

”I was just trying to make the house look nice for Christmas, and I thought it would be a nice thing to do together, but then you had to ruin it.”

”I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to, but I -” started Douglas, then cut himself off. ”I was an idiot, okay?”

”Yes, you were!”

”I really appreciate your efforts, Martin. Even if I do think they’re a bit over the top.”

”Your daughters are coming over tomorrow. Don’t you want the house to look … I don’t know … Christmas-y?”

”We already have a tree, several stars and stockings. What more do we need?”

”Fairy lights.”

”Apparently,” sighed Douglas. ”And now we have that too.”

”Just a bit,” Martin mumbled. ”We still have half of the box left.”

”Oh, God,” sighed Douglas. ”The room would look like the Heathrow runways when you’re done.”

”Just forget it,” said Martin and walked downstairs to the kitchen to prepare tea.

Douglas sat on the bed for a while. He knew Martin just needed his space when he was like this. Douglas was mad at himself for managing to mess up a simple thing like putting up Christmas lights. It had just meant to be light teasing, but apparently it had turned into something more.

***

Martin was in the kitchen, slamming pots and pans around. He knew Douglas hadn’t meant to be mean, but he really wanted to make an effort on the house. This wasn’t just another Christmas. This was their _first_ Christmas as husbands, and the first one in their own home. And to top that off, Douglas’ daughters were coming over tomorrow morning. It was a very special day, and Martin wanted everything to be perfect! Why didn’t Douglas realise that?

Martin was slamming the last bowl on the kitchen table. Douglas hadn’t even come down to apologise or help him with the cooking, a chance Douglas never missed if he could help it. Martin was tempted to just eat alone and let Douglas’ food get cold.

”Martin? Can you come in here for a second?” Martin heard Douglas call from the sitting room.

He sighed. ”No, food is ready, you can come in here.”

Douglas popped his head through the door. ”Food can wait for a bit. I really need you to come in here.”

”But then it would get cold!”

Douglas sighed, walked into the room, grabbed Martin by the hand and dragged him into the sitting room.

Martin gasped. The room was filled with fairy lights.

”I’m sorry for being mean,” said Douglas. ”I know you just wanted to make everyone happy, and it _is_ a very special Christmas for all of us.”

”Yes, it is,” mumble Martin.

”I know these are mostly for Emily’s sake, and I really appreciate the effort you’re making.”

Martin smiled. ”You know how much she loves them.”

”That’s why I took some of them and put up in their room as well.”

Of course Douglas had to go and improve his plans, but Martin was genuinely pleased to see his husband finally realising the importance of this holiday.

”I have something else, too, and I thought about doing this tomorrow morning, but I think we need to do it right now.”

He took out a box wrapped in silver paper with a dark blue ribbon on it.

”Are we doing the gifts _now_?”

”No, this is something for the both of us,” said Douglas and handed the box to Martin. ”Open it.”

Martin ripped off the ribbon and the paper and opened the lid. Inside was a glass ornament, shaped like a plane with their names and their wedding date engraved.

”I thought about getting a more classic round one, but I thought you might like the plane version better,” said Douglas while Martin’s fingers trailed the engraved names. ”I thought we could get a new one every year, with something special that happened that year. This year was quite easy.”

”Oh, Douglas!” Martin said and threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. ”It’s beautiful! I love it! I love that idea! I love you!”

”Now, how about tea? I’m starving! And then after we could put on ”It’s A Wonderful Life” and snuggle up under a blanket and share a huge bucket of popcorn. How does that sound?”

”It sounds brilliant,” said Martin and smiled.

The two of them went into the kitchen to eat. After the meal, Martin did the dishes while Douglas made them some hot chocolate and popped popcorn, they retreated to the sitting room, pulled a blanket over them and put on the DVD.

When the movie ended, Martin was half-asleep with his head on Douglas’ chest.

”Time for bed, I think,” said Douglas and kissed him on the forehead.

Martin stretched and yawned. ”No, wait. I have something for you.”

”We can surely do that tomorrow,” said Douglas. ”The girls will be here early and Emily will be furious if we do presents without them.”

”That’s the thing,” said Martin. ”This is not for their eyes.”

Martin hurried upstairs and came down with a little box wrapped in gold paper. Douglas looked at him questioningly.

”What’s this now?”

”I’m not going to tell you,” said Martin. That’s why it’s wrapped!”

Douglas tore the paper off the little box and stared at it.

”12 Lays of Christmas?” Douglas started to laugh. ”What?”

Martin’s face flushed and he reached for the box. ”It was a silly idea. Give me that.”

”No,” said Douglas and made sure Martin couldn’t reach the box. ”Let’s see what this is. _We must make the time to sneak off each day. And go for a little roll in the hay?_ ”

”It’s just a stupid thing I found online,” said Martin. ”I knew you would laugh. Just throw it away.”

”No way,” said Douglas and continued reading the box. ” _So I’ll grab candles and mistletoe too. Because all I want this Christmas is YOU!_ ”

”It’s ridiculous,” said Martin and snatched the box from Douglas’ hands.”Just forget about it. It was just a little joke.”

”Let me get this straight, Martin,” said Douglas. ”As a Christmas present, you’re giving me _you_?”

”That was the idea, yes.”

”Very naughty,” said Douglas and laughed. ”I love it!”

”You don’t find it cheesy or pathetic or anything?”

”Cheesy, yes. Pathetic? Definitely not. So how does this work exactly?”

”I have a bag of tiny packages in the bedroom. You’ll open one each morning, and by the end of the day we have to have ”done the deed” so to speak.”

”We _have_ to have sex twelve consecutive days?”

”Yes.”

”Oh no, what a burden,” laughed Douglas. ”You’re right, Martin. That was really a _terrible_ idea for a gift.”

Douglas grabbed the man by the waist, pulled him down on his lap, and kissed him deeply. ”You know, Martin, it _is_ after midnight and technically the first day of Christmas. How about we go upstairs and get started on day one?”

”Really?”

”Really! The girls will be here all of tomorrow, I am not throwing away my shot on the first day.”

”We have to find your first present then,” said Martin and jumped up from the sofa.

”Then by all means, lead the way.”


End file.
